In the history of every business there are luminous moments in which the company’s character is manifestly apparent. Such moments inevitably enliven written histories of businesses. Very early in the research for Work Well Done, Jim’s history of P.C. Richard & Son, a large regional retail chain based on Long Island, New York, he discovered such a moment in the company’s archives.

As World War II wound down, A.J. Richard displayed an early television set – one of the few in New York City – in the window of his little store in Ozone Park, Queens. On Friday nights, in the shadow of the elevated railway, crowds of war weary neighbors would congregate outside the window and watch televised boxing matches. A.J. didn’t have a television to sell, but he was effectively promising his customers the bright future that would unfold after the war … and entertaining them at the same time. The story was at once a delightful slice of Americana and a resonant reflection of the company’s values. And Jim knew, the moment he read about it, that he had to use it to open his book.

Click on the link at left to read the prologue of Work Well Done, which was produced and published by Greenwich Publishing Group.

“When you are writing a book about a company that has been in the retail business for 100 years, that is a big responsibility. During our interview process with Jim Smith, I was very impressed by his smile and the glint in his eye. From that moment I said to myself, ‘This is the man who can get the job done.’ With his great listening skills and dedication, he more than accomplished our dream of capturing the 100-year history of P.C. Richard & Son. The book Jim wrote, Work Well Done, is well written and well received by everyone who comes in contact with it. Once you start reading it, you cannot put the book down until you read it from cover to cover. Thanks, Jim, for ‘Work Well Done’."